Stop unpaid bank-transfer orders from locking your stock
Pending transfer orders pile up and block inventory. Put them on a deadline, then cancel what stays unpaid.
Bank-transfer orders stay "pending" until the money arrives. Without a deadline, they pile up and lock stock that paying customers could buy. This guide puts every pending order on a clock.
What you need
- A WooCommerce store with admin access.
- Bank transfer (or cheque) enabled as a payment method.
Steps
- Pick a delay per method. Bank transfers clear in days, not weeks. Start with 7 days for transfers, 14 for cheques, and adjust after a month of data.
- Preview before you act. List the orders the rule would cancel today. If the list looks wrong, fix the delay before anything automatic runs.
- Exclude who must stay. Regular customers, manual orders, and some roles should never auto-cancel. Add them to the exclusion list first.
- Remind, then cancel. Send one reminder a day or two before the deadline. Cancel only orders still unpaid after it. Recheck payment status at the last second.
- Keep a trace. Each cancellation should leave an order note and a log line, so support can answer "where is my order?" in seconds.
Expected result
No pending transfer order stays open past your delay. Stock returns to sale automatically, and every cancellation is explained in the order notes.
With Unpaid Transfer Guard
The free plugin previews and cancels unpaid transfer orders on your delay. The Pro version adds per-method delays, exclusions, and reminders before the deadline.
